The Crew’s chances of reaching the postseason appear to be about the same as Federico Higuain’s
chance to return this weekend: slim at best.

With the Crew guaranteed to remain mathematically in the running for the fifth and final playoff
spot in the Eastern Conference until the end of Saturday’s game at New England, captain and
designated player Higuain continues to be hobbled by a hip injury suffered in the team’s last game.
Higuain was unavailable for the first full-go practice session since Wednesday and has not been
active since the Crew’s 1-0 home loss to Sporting Kansas City on Oct. 5.

“He had a meeting and a second MRI (on Monday), and we don’t know those results,” interim coach
Brian Bliss said yesterday. “Until we really know more from that, it’s probably best for him to sit
out. Artificial turf isn’t the best thing for him, either, so it’s probably going to be day-to-day
whether he makes the trip or he doesn’t.”

New England plays its home games at Gillette Stadium, which has a FieldTurf surface. The Crew
will practice on Thursday at Ohio Dominican’s Panther Field, which has a similar surface.

Higuain injured his right hip in the opening moments of the game against Kansas City but did not
come out of the lineup. Last week, Bliss described the injury as a “severe contusion to the hip
area.” Had the Crew been eliminated from postseason contention, Bliss said Higuain might have been
shut down for the team’s final two games.

“We’ve got plenty of guys who are waiting to receive the opportunity to play in any spot,”
midfielder Bernardo Anor said. “Not having (Higuain) is a huge loss, but at the same time, it’s a
new opportunity for guys to step up and do some work for us.”

No signing

Bliss would not divulge what countries he visited during his weekend international scouting trip
but did refute rumors of a new player signing.

A report out of Costa Rica on Thursday claimed that the Crew had signed Waylon Francis, a
23-year-old defender under contract with C.S. Herediano. Bliss confirmed that Francis has been on
the Crew’s radar but that a deal last year could not be reached to bring him to Columbus.

As it stands, the Crew is unable to sign anyone because Major League Soccer rosters were frozen
on Sept. 13 and can’t be altered until around the time of the league’s re-entry draft, which will
take place sometime after the MLS Cup on Dec. 7.

Bliss still is serving as the team’s technical director and will coach the final two games of
the season. Beyond that, nothing is guaranteed for Bliss, who has publicly asserted his hopes of
landing the full-time coaching job. The uncertainty has not affected the team’s scouting
operations, he said.

“The progress of the wheel can’t stop,” Bliss said. “Whether I’m here or somebody else is here,
at the end of the day you’re trying to make decisions in the best interests of the club. Whether I’m
on as the technical director, the coach or neither, I still think you’ve got to keep working as if
you’re going to be here. That’s the only way you can approach it.”